Top Tips for Writing Inspiring PR Content

Alex Weiss

Blog

Today, content moves as quick as lightning thanks to an endless stream of social media and digital publishing. Carefully crafted posts, blogs, emails and articles can easily get swallowed up, making it difficult for a brand’s content and products to stand out. It’s incredibly important to create content that isn’t just interesting, but inspirational. The more unique the content is, the more likely it will stand the test of the digital timeline.

In order to create clickable, sharable and inspiring content, follow these tips:

Rely on originality.

A story or hashtag might be trending the moment you begin the workday, but that doesn’t mean you should join the conversation. If you can find an original hook to make your product or company stand out in a unique way and relate to the trend, do so. If not, don’t worry, there will be many more opportunities. It’s more important to create an original article, post or update that focuses on your brand, product or services, rather than forcing content to fit what’s trending at that moment in time.

Make your headline pop.

The point of a headline is to instill curiosity and persuade someone to explore the topic further. Click-bait headlines are still a common and successful way to increase readership. However, because click-bait is used so often, it has the potential to make users unhappy or less willing to click and review an article or email[1]. When creating a headline, make sure to cover all your bases and look for that unique spin or question that could excite a reader, but don’t bait them with a headline that could leave them unsatisfied.

Offer helpful tips and advice.

Make sure to balance your promotional posts with original content that offers helpful pieces of advice. People are more likely to share things that inspire and awe[2]. While promoting case studies and new products, don’t forget to write tip-filled articles and blogs that relate to your brand but reach a large audience at the same time.

Do your research and source accurately.

Readers won’t hesitate to rip apart content if it isn’t backed up with reputable sources. Fake news is a rising concern and if a brand becomes associated with false facts, it can seriously harm its reputation. Make sure your content is thoroughly researched and accurately sourced.

Focus on making content engaging and thought provoking.

Whether it’s a headline, the first sentence of an article, a tweet or an email pitch, make sure to hook the reader in right away. Look beyond the obvious. State an interesting fact. Pair an image or video with your content. Ask a rhetorical, thought provoking question that encourages readers to offer their opinion. Most importantly, stray from dullness and lead with excitement.

Keep it short and simple.

Most PR and marketing content should be kept short, sweet and to the point. While it is important to look for the unique hook and interesting ways to engage readers, don’t get derailed from the main subject at hand.

Edit, edit, edit.

Before publishing, it’s always a good idea to pass it along to a coworker or trusted eye to make sure it’s free of typos, awkward sentences or other grammatical errors. This is incredibly important as many brands often get called out on social media platforms for small, preventable spelling errors or for providing a wrong link.

New content is published every day, every hour, every minute. Not only does original content help a brand compete with the ongoing stream of updates, but it also increases awareness and readership and helps brands establish a reliable and active identity. Whether you want to increase your social media following or provide current and potential customers with the latest updates on your business, the best way to do so is to start (and never stop) creating inspiring content.